Palletizing apparatus



Feb. 16, 1965 D. M. MOLEAN PALLETIZING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 13, 1962 DanielMMcLean INVENTOR.

Feb. 16, 1965 D. M. M LEAN 3,159,471

PALLETIZING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 13, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Danie] M.McLec1n INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,169,471 PALLETIZEIG APPARATUS Daniel M. McLean, Independence, Greg, assignor to Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Portland, Greg, a corporation of Georgia Filed Nov. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 237,093 Claims. (Cl. 100-4) This invention relates to palletizing apparatus, i.e. to apparatus for binding large packages such as plywood or lumber stacks while at the same time building into the package an integral pallet making possible easy handling of the package with a lift truck.

In the manufacture of plywood, panel board and like products, it is usual practice to stack the finished panels with the edges registering and then to transfer the stack on a live roll assembly to a station at which it is bound with steel strap in an Acme or other conventional type of binding apparatus. The bound stack then is carried away by means of a lift' truck to storage or to a transporting vehicle.

It is the general purpose of the present invention to provide apparatus for applying to a stack of panels or other package one or more pallet-forming feet, these being bound to the stack in the same operation that binds the panels together. As a result, there is formed a bound stack having an integral pallet, taking advantage of the fact that the stack per se possesses an exterior pallet forming surface which may be converted into a pallet by the mere application of the foot members.

Moreover, such an arrangement has the ancillary but important advantages of protecting the top panel of the stack from the damaging effect of a tightly wrapped steel strap or other binding member; of being readily adaptable to automatic operation on a conventional packaging line;

and of being readily attachable to a conventional strapping machine. 7 I

Considering the foregoing in greater detail, and with particular reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of package strapping apparatus on which is mounted the herein described palletizing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a view in end elevation of the palletizing apparatus of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of arrows 2-2 of the latter figure;

FIG. 3 is a detail view in side elevation of the palletizing apparatus of the preceding figures, but viewed from the opposite side of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a detail plan view partly in section, along line 44 of FIG. 3, and illustrating a holding assembly employed in the presently described apparatus; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an electric circuit for operating the mechanism shown in the preceding views.

The apparatus of the present invention may be applied to forming integral pallets on any type of package or stack having a pallet-forming exterior surface, i.e. a fiat, strong surface which in effect forms the platform member of the pallet created by the attachment of palletforming feet. The apparatus is particularly suitable for use, however, in palletizing stacks of plywood or wood composition board and is illustrated with reference to that application.

Thus there is provided a live roll assembly 10 driven by means such as electric motor 10 (FIG. 5) and which conveys a stack 12 of panels from a stacking station to a binding station at which may be located an Acme or other strap fastener indicated generally at 14.

The operation of the strap fastener normally occurs in stages, a first strap being wrapped about the leading end of the stack in the first stage and a second strap about the trailing end of the stack in the second stage. During "ice these operations the stack moves from the dotted line to the full line positions of FIG. 1.

The strap fastener employed is conventional and forms no part of the present invention except insofar as it affords an appropriate means for affixing the pallet-forming feet to the stack. Its operation is automatic and consists of encircling the stack with a strap '16 traveling in a guideway 17. The strap is wrappedcornpletely around the stack until the ends meet. It then is tensioned and the ends fastened together.

In the practice of the present invention a pallet-forming foot member is superimposed on the stack preliminary to wrapping the strap around it. The foot then is bound against the stack by operation of the strapper.

A wide variety of items may be used in the capacity of the pallet-forming feet. Where the packaging of plywood is contemplated, there advantageously may be employed lengths of 2 X 4 or other structural pieces 18, cut to uniform size. Preferably this size is about the width of the plywood panel so that the piece overlies and protects the exterior panel.

The foot-forming pieces are stored in magazine means comprising a pair of spaced, parallel, vertically extending guideways 20, 22 mounted on brackets 24 which may be fixed to the frame of strapping machine 14.

The guideways are dimensioned to receive an adequate stock of the pieces. Their lower front faces are open to provide a passageway 26 (FIG. 3) through which the lowermost member of the stack may be pushed. The side face of one of them, guideway 20, is cut away to provide a magazine-charging opening.

The pushing apparatus employed comprises a pair 0 push rods 28, 30 which slide in guides 32, 34 respectively, alfixed to the frame of the apparatus. The leading ends of the push rods underlie and support the stack of foot members 18. The trailing ends are of sufficient length to enable a push rod stroke of predetermined length.

Clevis-like abutments 36, 38 are mounted centrally on the upper surfaces of the push rods. They are designed to abut and push against the rearward side face of the lowermost foot member 18, advancing it from its storage station in the magazine to an advanced station at which the strapping machine is operative.

Although various reciprocating drives may be em ployed for driving the push rods, that illustrated includes a fluid-operated cylinder, preferably an air cylinder 40,

the reciprocativc operation of which is controlled by such means as the solenoid valve 40' (FIG. 5). Its base is pivoted to a bracket 41. Its piston rod 42 is coupled to a lever arm 44. This in turn is fixed to a rock shaft 46,

' the ends of which are journaled in bearings 48, 50.

Keyed to the rock shaft are a pair of angular lever arms 52, 54 which, in turn, are pivotally connectedrto one end of connecting bars 5e, 60. The other ends of these bars are pivotally connected to clevis-like abutments 36, 38 described above.

Accordingly reciprocation of piston rod 42 induces ahorizontal reciprocating motion of push rods 28, 30, and hence of abutments 36, 38.

During their advancing motion, the abutments push the lowermost foot member 18 from beneath the stack transferred to the binding or packaging station where it is held in position by means of spring-pressed fingers indicated particularly in FIG. 4.

There is one such finger assembly on each side of the apparatus. Each includes an angular bracket 62 from the central portion of which extend a pair of short arms 64.

Pivoted between these arms is a finger 66 having a pointed tip which is pressed resiliently into gripping en gagement with the ends of each member 18 by means of a compression spring 68.

- It is a particular feature of the present invention that the apparatus can be run automatically in conjunction with a plywood or other packaging line.

Thus when package 12 traveling on live roll assembly contacts a limit switch 70, the motion of the package is arrested in the dotted line position of FIG. 1. In this position, the first strap is applied.

Switch 70 also actuates cylinder 40 with the resul that pushing arms 28, mounting abutments 36, 38, push the lowermost foot member 18 outwardly through openings 26 and between spring pressed fingers 66. These hold the member in place as shown in FIG. 4, while the pusher arms are withdrawn by reverse action of the cylinder, completing the cylinder cycle.

The discharging movement of foot member 18 is used to energize a second limit switch 72. This reverses cylinder so that it returns to its original position.

As it does so, a third limit switch 74 is energized by contact with a shoe 76 carried by an extension of lever arm 44. This limit switch actuates strapping machine 14 so that the strap traveling through guideway 17 is wrapped about the package and about the superimposed foot member 18, lengthwise thereof.

Prior to movement of the strap through guideway 17 a package-compressing member 14 of the strapper moves downward toward the package, pushing the foot member 18 downward and out of engagement by the fingers 66. This downward movement of the package-compressing member opens switch 78 which, after a predetermined delay sufiicient for the strapper to apply the strap and retract the compressing member, closes and starts live rolls 10. The package then moves along the live rolls until it reaches the full l ne position of FIG. 1, where it engages a fifth switch 80. This corresponds in function to live roll switch 74} and initiates again the sequence described above.

The finished package then is discharged from the apparatus. It is securely bound with two straps, each of which also ties down a transversely arranged foot member. 18, making of the package an integral pallet which greatly facilitates lift truck handling during transportation and storage operations.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. For use with package binding apparatus having a package binding station, package palletizing apparatus comprising:

(a) magazine means for holding a pallet-forming foot member spaced from the package binding station of the binding apparatus,

(b) advancing means positioned for advancing the foot member from the magazine means to said binding station wherein it lies across a pallet-forming surface of the package spaced from the latter and in the plane of a binder to be wrapped about the package, and

(c) holding means arranged for holding the foot member releasably in the package binding station for wrapping a binder around the package and foot member, whereby upon operation of a packagebinding member of the binding apparatus the foot member is drawn from the holding means against the package and the binder is applied, thereby contemporaneously binding the package and forming an integral pallet therefor by binding the foot memher to the pallet-forming surface.

2. The palletizing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the magazine means comprises a pair of vertically arranged guideways dimensioned to hold a stack of the palletfor-ming foot members, and means for mounting the guideways in parallel spaced relation above the advancing means.

3. The palletizing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the advancing means comprises a guide means mounted below the magazine means, pushing arm means working in the guide means and positioned to engage the palletforming foot member,'lever means connected to the pushing arm means and reciprocating motor means connected to the lever means, for actuating the pushing arm means in reciprocating motion between a retracted station adjacent the magazine means and an advanced station adja cent the holding means.

4. The palletizing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the holding means comprise a pair of spring-pressed fingers arranged to releasably grip the opposite end faces of the pallet foot member.

5. For use with package binding apparatus, package palletizing apparatus comprising:

(a) magazine means for holding a stack of palletforming foot members, the magazine means comprising a pair of spaced, vertically extending guideways dimensioned to receive the foot members and having an opening on one side,

(b) a pair of guides underlying the magazine means,

(c) a pair of pusher arms slidably mounted one in each of the guides on the side opposite the opening in the magazine means, 7

(d) levermeans connected to the pushing arms,

(e) motor means connected to the lever means for working the pusher arms in reciprocating motion between a retracted station underlying the magazine means and an advanced package binding station rerrnovedfrorn the same, wherein the foot member is disposed above and across the package in the plane of a binder to be wrapped about the package,

(1) and a pair of oppositely-arranged, spring-pressed holding fingers mounted at the package binding station for releasably gripping between them a palletforming foot member advanced by the pushing arms, whereby upon operation of a package-compressing member of the binding apparatus the foot member is drawn from the holding fingers against the package and the binder is applied to form an integral pallet.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the motor means comprises a double acting, fluid operated cylinder.

7. Apparatus for palletizing a package, comprising:

(a) binding means having a binding station in which a flexible binder is adapted to be wrapped about a package,

(b) means for holding a pallet-forming foot member spaced from the package binding station, and

(c) advancing means positioned for advancing the foot member from the holding means to said binding station wherein it lies across a pallet-forming surface of the package spaced from the latter and in the plane of a binder to be wrapped about the package, whereby tightening of the binder aboiit the package and foot member forms a bound package including an integral pallet foot.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 including control means operatively associated with the advancing means and operable upon movement of a foot member to the binding station to actuate the binding apparatus to wrap a binder about the package and foot member.

5 e 9. For use with package binding apparatus having a operable by engagement of said foot member to actuate package binding station, package palletizing apparatus the binding apparatus to wrap a binder about the packcomprising: age and foot member.

(a) means for holding a pallet-forming foot member spaced f h package bi di Station f th 5 References Cited in the file of this patent b di app q d f d t f t UNITED STATES PATENTS 0 a vancing means posl mac or a vancing he 00 member from the holding means to sm'd binding 53 5 et a1 fi g station wherein it lies across a pallet-forming sur- 2684626 1 face of the package in the plane of a binder to be 10 S E'i i wrapped about the package, whereby tightening of 5 15 i i c a "g i 1959 the binder about the package and foot member forms 29332o7 g g 'g g 1960 a bound package including an integral pallet foot. 2943558 Han et a1 n F 1960 10. The apparatus of claim 9 including control means 3003296 Ffeldkam "g 1961 for the binding apparatus disposed for engagement by 15 3077157 Gordon p g' 1963 a foot member advanced to said binding station and 

1. FOR USE WITH PACKAGE BINDING APPARATUS HAVING A PACKAGE BINDING STATION, PACKAGE PALLETIZING APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) MAGAZINE MEANS FOR HOLDING A PELLET-FORMING FOOT MEMBER SPACED FROM THE PACKAGE BINDING STATION OF THE BONDING APPARATUS, (B) ADVANCING MEANS POSITIONED FOR ADVANCING THE FOOT MEMBER FROM THE MAGAZINE MEANS TO SAID BINDING STATION WHEREIN IT LIES ACROSS A PALLET-FORMING SURFACE OF THE PACKAGE SPACED FROM THE LATTER AND IN THE PLANE OF A BINDER TO BE WRAPPED ABOUT THE PACKAGE, AND (C) HOLDING MEANS ARRANGED FOR HOLDING THE FOOT MEMBER RELEASABLY IN THE PACKAGE BINDING STATION FOR WRAPPING A BINDER AROUND THE PACKAGE AND FOOT MEMBER, WHEREBY UPON OPERATION OF A PACKAGEBINDING MEMBER OF THE BINDING APPARATUS THE FOOT MEMBER IS DRAWN FROM THE HOLDING MEANS AGAINST THE PACKAGE AND THE BINDER IS APPLIED, THEREBY CONTEMPORANEOUSLY BINDING THE PACKAGE AND FORMING AN INTEGRAL PALLET THEREFOR BY BINDING THE FOOT MEMBER TO THE PALLET-FORMING SURFCE. 